Alone
by YarningChick
Summary: Haru's been running for her single and literal life ever since a bad brush with the Cat King a few years before. But what will happen when she meets someone that she can't run from?
1. The Foreign Girl

Alone Chapter One: The Foreign Girl

A giant bird scanned the horizon carefully, double-checking his position in the air. Finally spotting his destination, the dark crow made a beeline for a brick building in the middle of a medium-sized village. The window was left conveniently open for him, and he shrunk to a normal size in order to peak through at an older man attacking a mountain of paperwork in frustration.

"Good afternoon, Mayor Johnson. You sent a message to my master?"

The man looked up surprised, and relaxed at seeing the bird.

"Yes, Toto. I was hoping to talk personally with you or the Cat Lord."

The bird hopped in and made himself at home on the back of the man's chair.

"What did you need to talk about?"

The man shifted uncomfortably.

"About the Full Moon Act."

The bird twitched.

"Did you find a girl of age that hasn't gone through it yet?"

The man nodded slowly.

"That's partially the problem. Does the Act include foreigners?"

The crow cocked his head.

"The Act is taken to mean any girl residing in the Cat Lord's domain; I'm sure that nationality is not an issue."

The man relaxed a little.

"Wonderful. Now I just need to find a way to tell her what needs to happen so she doesn't panic."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the girl can barely speak three words of our language. I don't know her exact age, but if she can travel alone from a country so distant that we can't understand her native tongue, then she is at least mentally old enough."

Toto nodded.

"What is her name, and where does she live?"

The man laughed uncomfortably.

"Her name's Haru, but we don't have a clue where she lives."

The crow cocked his head again.

"I know how that sounds, but every time someone tries to follow her home, she disappears without a trace. We think she might actually be a fairy, since anyone that owns her embroidery is blessed with good luck. She only started coming to our village to trade three months ago, but I thought it might be something you would want to look into."

The crow bowed low, grateful for the information.

"The Cat Lord will be pleased by your assumption. Is she around?"

"Oh no, she usually drops by the village after the full moon nights, about two days after. But I could point you in the direction she usually disappears in."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Toto headed due eastward, toward the Emerald Forest. Few have ever successfully settled in the Forest, since it had long been viewed as haunted by dead soldiers from forgotten battles in the distant past. The crow reasoned that if the girl couldn't understand the local language, then she would have no reason to fear the forest. He had to shrink to the size of a hummingbird in order to fly beneath the thick branches that cast the forest into a near perpetual darkness.

He knew he only had two days maximum in order to find this foreign girl if he wanted to make the deadline for this month, and that he would have to wait for the following full moon if he didn't find her soon. A few hours later, his sensitive nostrils picked up the scent of soap and smoke. He made a beeline for the source, and came to a small clearing. A small tent and fire pit had been erected in the side of the lighted portion, the majority being taken by a small but neat garden. In one of the rows was a young woman pulling up some stubborn weeds. Toto grew to a normal crow's size and circled the makeshift house to see the girl's face.

She was wearing a large straw hat to protect her skin from the sun, and had on long leather gloves to protect her from the pricks of the weeds. Her large brown eyes had a look of intense concentration, so entirely focused that she didn't even noticing the bird watching her. She was dressed completely in brown, with her dress obviously having seen a few years of wear and tear. Tiny black stitches held her dress and coat together, her shoes being knee-high brown boots that clearly came from the village she had been trading with. A large brown bag hung from one shoulder to cross her body and rest on her other hip. Her hair looked almost black under the straw hat, but Toto could tell it was somewhere between medium and dark brown.

He coughed politely to get her attention, but she just leaned back, taking a small break from her labors. He coughed louder, and she got to her feet and headed towards the small tent. Toto lost his patience.

"Haru!"

The woman jumped a foot in the air, looking around frantically for the intruder.

"Up here!" He started waving one wing around in order to gain her attention. She looked up, a quirk in the eyebrow saying she didn't think he was the one who had spoken to her. He gestured with the same wing for her to come closer, but she wouldn't, obviously mistrustful by nature. Sighing, Toto flew on top of the tent, where he was nearly eye-level with the human girl.

"I need you to come with me, Haru."

She took a few steps back, clearly not understanding what was happening. The crow hopped off the hut and landed next to her. He began to grow.

"Please get on my back."

The girl jumped even farther away, her confusion melting into horror as he became twice her height. She shook her head violently, and started saying something unintelligible. She turned to run, but Toto was ready for her reaction. Jumping at her from behind, he grabbed her by the upper arms with his talons, being as gentle as he could.

He generally preferred for passengers to ride on his back, but he doubted that the girl would be that willing to cooperate. He flew out of the clearing and into the open sky, the girl still in his talons and struggling fiercely. He made a beeline for the distant castle, where his master and friend was waiting for them. Good thing he had a few hours to work with. The girl started to beat at his legs as her straw hat became lost to the wind.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

In a large stone castle, in one of the higher towers, a tall figure thoughtfully traced the edge of his empty teacup. His slanted green eyes, which should have been focused on the papers in front of him, were studying the skies outside the large window. The late afternoon sun highlighted the golden tones in his orange fur, and made his gray suit appear to be white. He rested one gloved hand beneath his chin and sighed.

The Cat Lord had come by his nick-name honestly, his head and tail being difficult to disguise. He never minded his strange appearance, and was never bothered about the strange magic that bound him to this unique shape, since no amount of worrying could change one hair of him. His appearance never interfered with affairs of state, since his people loved him enough to always obey the first time. In the years of his rule, the land had prospered, and the people were happy and whole.

Except for him. He tried never to dwell long over it, but in the years since the prophecy was given, the Cat Lord had always been vigilant with the Full Moon Act. No one understood the reasons behind the strange proclamation, but obeyed it out of love for him. However, it had been several months since the last girl of age had been tried without success, and the careful records he kept of his people said that the next one wouldn't be ready for another few months. He watched the passing shadows with disgust. It wasn't like he was getting any younger…

A loud shout pricked his large pointed ears, and he shot out of his chair to look outside his window. Toto had returned from the call the mayor of Jalin had given, and he had a person between his claws, the source of the noise. Baron noted in passing that the person was wearing a skirt, and the crow holding her was heading for the special stone-wall enclosed garden in the back of the castle. The Cat Lord's heart leapt. Where had Toto found another one? He ran down the spiraling staircase, hope beginning to flare once more.


	2. The Garden

Alone Chapter Two: The Garden

Toto set the brunette down as gently as he could, knowing that she wouldn't mean the beating she was doing on his legs if she understood the situation. He flew inside the castle, her angry shouts dimming a little as he passed through one of the windows. His master quickly found him, and looked out the window to the girl.

"I wouldn't do that, Baron. She flipped out when I changed sizes in front of her."

The cat-man prudently shifted to one side of the window, still studying the girl as she paced angrily around the garden, trying to find an exit. But there weren't any; she was practically in a stone cage.

"Where did you find this one, Toto?"

"In the Emerald Forest. She was what the Jalin mayor wished to talk to us about. He doubted that she had been put through the Full Moon Act, since she's a foreigner."

Baron nodded, the language the girl had been shouting angrily confirming the fact.

"So she has no idea why she's been brought here?"

"I tried to tell her, but she couldn't understand me beyond her name."

She had started feeling the walls, clearly hoping for a secret door somewhere in the stone. Baron watched her with amusement.

"And what would her name be?"

"Haru."

The girl had given up trying to find an exit, and was eyeing the top of the stone wall speculatively. Baron grinned, knowing that the walls were too tall and smooth for anyone but him, Toto, or a cat to scale. He sighed.

"Chances are that she'll be returned to her home tomorrow morning anyway. Are her living conditions up to standard?"

"No. She can keep a neat garden, but her tent won't keep her safe when winter comes."

The girl had taken a thick cord from her bag, and was tying her long hair into a high ponytail. She took a second cord and tied her shoulder bag tightly to her hips.

"Then we'll need to help her out with that after the full moon business is taken care of." He became even more amused at the way Haru backed up into the corner nearest to the castle, and started to charge the farthest wall.

He was fighting the urge to look away from the inevitable collusion when the girl quickly sank down to the ground and used the gained momentum to back-flip over the wall. She didn't quite make it, balancing on the edge of the wall while hanging on with her gloved hands. Baron stared in amazement, since the way she was holding the wall couldn't possibly be supporting her _that_ well. And how exactly had she executed that jump?

Toto blinked a few times.

"The mayor was right; perhaps she _is_ a fairy."

She firmly pulled herself onto the top of the wall, and started scanning for the safest place to jump off the other way. The magical bird flew back out the window, growing in size once more. Haru noticed him approaching, and jumped off where she was.

Baron was impressed that it took Toto nearly five minutes instead of less than one to bring her back. He wished he could have seen what she did to delay re-capture for so long. Toto firmly deposited her back in the garden, and stationed himself on one of the walls to make sure she didn't escape again.

The girl started to rain down a fresh batch of shouts, shaking her fist angrily at the giant bird. Her hair had fallen from its restraints, possibly from fighting with Toto. The Cat Lord felt something brush against his leg, and his favorite advisor waddled onto the seat next to him.

"Quick, Baron; do you have a quill and paper?"

The orange cat quirked an eyebrow.

"If you look to your left, you'll find both, along with ink."

The enormous white cat immediately fell on the stationary, writing at a furious pace. Eventually Baron got curious enough to sneak a peak at what the enormous cat was writing. What was there was a little surprising.

**Worm-breath, Turkey, Oven-stuffer, over-grown canary, No-Brains, befeathered ruffian, moth-bitten feather duster-**

"Muta, what on earth are you doing?"

The cat laughed.

"What does it look like? I'm preserving all the insults that girl's saying for future fights with Bird-brain. I mean, 'that dirty vulture'."

Baron cocked his head in surprise.

"You mean you can understand her?"

"Of course, can't you?" Muta stopped writing long enough to look at the half-cat, and was surprised by the intensity in his eyes.

"No, but could you kindly translate everything she's saying?"

The white cat sighed, and placed the packet of papers aside.

"'_I don't care who you think you are or who put you up to this, but I'll have you know I've been in worse scrapes than this and came out on top. You have no right to keep me here you filthy bird,_ _and I will be out before the moon sets if it kills me.'_ Sounds like the girl has issues."

The girl had stopped yelling, and was now furiously pacing the garden again, trying to think of another way to escape. Toto watched her intently, determined that he wouldn't underestimate her again. She looked at the setting sun with irritation, her eyes flashing angrily. Baron laughed softly so she wouldn't look up at him and get scared.

"If nothing else, she will provide some much-needed amusement." Despite the anger, he could tell that she was actually quite a fetching young lady. But then, so were many of the others…

"Muta, if you can understand what she says, there's a possibility that she can understand you too. Could you please go down and explain to Miss Haru why she's here?"

The cat was about to hop off his chair when he jerked violently.

"Did you just say Haru?"

"I did."

The large white cat looked over the window again, a very sneaky smile on his face.

"I wonder if it's the same one."

"The same one as whom?"

The white cat didn't answer, already gone on his errand.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The brunette had run out of breath more than steam, still angry at the newest intrusion on her life.

'_I ask for so little. A place to sleep, food on the table, and to be left alone. That's really all I want.' _She kept pacing angrily. _'I've had plenty of experience running from humans and felines, but never a magical bird. Where's his weak point?'_

"Excuse me."

She jumped at the new voice, surprised that it was speaking her language. She looked down, and fought the urge to scream. Not another cat. She jumped onto the small stone bench, her flashing eyes locked on the enormous feline. She had learned to be extra cautious around cats.

"What?"

"Would you happen to be the Cat King's Haru?"

That got her temper flared, and she gained her breath enough to shout her response.

"No, I'm **not** the Cat King's Haru, I never **was** the Cat King's Haru, and I will never **be** the Cat King's Haru!"

The giant crow leaped back, surprised that she still had that much wind left. The white cat below her grinned.

"Yep, you're the right Haru. I'm Renaldo Moon by the way; perhaps you've heard of me?"

She blinked, and the anger faded. Even if he wasn't the real criminal she had heard about, the fact that he had copied the weight alone was an act of bravery. On second thought, could any cat copy Renaldo Moon's weight and live to tell about it?

The girl actually laughed as she stepped off the bench to shake the huge cat's paw. The bird nearly fell off his perch in disbelief.

"It's a pleasure to meet someone that can reduce the Cat King to a frothing frenzy merely by the mention of his name. You aren't going to rat me out to him, are you?"

The cat shook his head, still grinning evilly.

"Nah, I actually came down here to tell you why Bird-brain brought you here."

She leaned in closer.

"But now that I know who you are, I don't think that would be the best idea."

Her eyes sharpened.

"Why not?"

He grinned evilly.

"Because you're causing a lot of trouble when you don't know the reason. Suffice it to say, we'll let you go home if you just stay in the garden all night."

She shook her head.

"I can't do that, at least not tonight. Maybe a week from now-"

"No, it needs to be tonight. Did you have somewhere you needed to be?"

Haru thought about lying, but decided against it. She was never very convincing.

"No, but it's a big- … you mean you don't know?" Her slow anger had evaporated into confusion. Muta blinked.

"What do you mean, 'I don't know'? I don't know what?"

Her eyes widened.

"You know, what the Cat King did to me. I thought for sure he'd still be bragging about it."

The white cat shook his head.

"Chicky, no one knows what happened to you after you turned him down, not even the prince and his wife."

Haru leaned back, her eyes starting to fade from fond memories of another white cat. Her heart cried out silently.

'_Yuki…' _

"If you don't know what he did to me, than why keep me here tonight of all nights?"

He tilted his head to one side.

"Because of the Full Moon Act. You're the last single woman of age in the realm that hasn't spent a full moon night in this garden."

Haru eyed him warily, suspicion creeping in.

"And why would it be important for of-age single girls to spend one night here?"


	3. The Full Moon Act

Alone Chapter Three: The Full Moon Act

The white cat grinned evilly.

"No one's going to threaten your honor, if that's what you're asking. My master just wants to see girls' faces by the full moonlight, and then he lets them go home."

Her eyes sharpened again.

"I repeat; that is something I can't do. The Cat King sort of made me allergic to moonlight."

He stared at her.

"Allergic?"

She nodded.

"I break out horribly; it's his revenge."

"What kind of a punishment is that?"

She shuddered.

"You wouldn't believe how good it is."

It was almost dark now, and the clouds were teasing across the deepening sky. Haru suddenly stood up straight, her eyes locked on the brightening silver disc on the other side of the clouds. She pulled a patchwork head mask from the bag still tied around her waist, and attempted to put it on.

Muta leapt on top of her, landing on her back from the piggy cat's weight. She saw stars for a few seconds, her head being slammed against the stone floor pretty hard. The wind had been knocked out of her, and she could have sworn that the cat cracked a rib or two.

"Sorry, Chicky, but a law is a law!" Muta grabbed the mask between his teeth and scrambled back before she came to herself. The large bird standing guard on the wall caught the cat before he went out of earshot and said something that he obviously found amusing. Muta started ripping up the mask into as many pieces as he could manage.

"Watch it, you overgrown vulture; this girl's got a better chance of succeeding than any before her!"

Haru struggled to her knees.

"Succeeding at what?!"

The white cat grinned evilly, and flung the remains of the mask down to her before retreating to the castle. Haru touched one red patch, fighting back the tears and understanding why the fat cat was so feared in the Cat Kingdom. He was pure _evil_.

'_I'll never let them make me cry. I don't have time to be sad anyway.'_ She could already feel the change the moonlight induced. She frantically looked around for something to hide her, only the foliage wouldn't protect her from that demon cat. Spotting a bare corner, she ran into it and backed in as far as she could go.

'_I don't care if this is blatantly obvious.'_ She wrapped one arm firmly around the top of her head, and the other around the bottom part of her face, only her eyes left to the moonlight. She locked her position with her legs, determined to stay up the entire night if she had to.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Baron looked a little more glum than Muta was expecting him to be, all things considered, since he was now facing the secret window that overlooked the garden.

"Aren't you enjoying the scenery, Baron?"

The tall cat looked down at the white. The Cat Lord had enjoyed the scenery much more when he saw that the girl had a beautiful smile, even if she was reluctant to show it, but the following actions amused him to a far lesser degree. He moved aside enough so that Muta could see. The white cat leaned over, and snorted in disgust.

"If I land on her arms, they'll come down really fast."

Baron grabbed him by the scruff of the neck before he could attempt it.

"That would also break them, and there's no need to give the doctor work tonight. We'll just wait for her to fall asleep. She's doubtlessly exhausted from running from Toto."

Muta shook his head.

"If it were any girl but Haru Yoshioka, I'd believe it. But she's got a stubborn streak a mile long, and if she decides something's going to happen, than she'll make it happen."

Baron released him.

"How do you know so much about her character?"

Muta shrugged.

"She's famous in the Cat World. She's the only person that ever stood up to the Cat King. No one's seen hide or hair of her since then until now. Doesn't the fact that she emigrated to the other side of the continent by herself confirm her stubborn streak?"

Baron's eyes widened.

"All by herself?"

Muta nodded.

"The cats have been keeping tabs on her home village and mother in case she ever tried to contact them again, and no one was missing from her village besides her."

Baron picked up the enormous cat and set him on the table next to the window, with a bit more difficulty than he was willing to admit.

"What did she stand up to the Cat King about?"

Muta started laughing sinisterly.

"See, Haru had this pretty cat that the Cat Prince was courting. His father came by her place to argue over the dowry or bride price after the prince proposed, but then the conversation swung to Haru's instead of her cat's. She didn't appreciate that the Cat King was checking her out, and made it clear that she was seeing someone. Even when he carried her off to the Cat Kingdom, she refused to bend to his will, and chewed him out pretty good in front of his subjects. That's the only part of the story I know, but she mentioned that the King made her allergic to moonlight to punish her for defying him."

Baron cocked his head at the overweight cat, who shrugged his huge shoulders.

"She says it's a lot worse of a punishment than it sounds, but that doesn't excuse her, does it?"

Baron thought about this carefully. He didn't want to put the girl in danger, but she was already so much more _interesting_ than the girls that knew exactly what the purpose for the Full Moon Act was. And how could she possibly be allergic to moonlight? He settled himself comfortably into a chair.

"Did you tell her the reason for the Act?"

"Of course not. We're having enough difficulty keeping her here without letting her know she's auditioning for another suitor."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The Cat Lord was becoming more and more impressed with this woman as the hours passed. Muta had been right about her will power; every so often she would loosen one leg to kick her other one sharply when her head began to droop. Baron did not envy the bruises she would likely have before this was over.

When she did pass out, there was plenty of sunlight, and she had gratefully sunk to her knees, her arms tired from staying in the same position. She only had enough strength to pull her hood over her face, to protect it from sunburn, before losing consciousness.

Baron had Toto fly down a physician for her wounds. The Cat Lord had also come down to get a closer look at the girl. Now that she wasn't on her guard, her face had softened considerably, making her look like a little girl.

'_So adorable…'_

"Milord, look at this." His favorite physician held up one arm, the one that had covered her face. As Baron drew closer, he could see that the sleeve of the coat and dress had actually been torn through, and the revealing skin had been slashed repeatedly. He looked closer, and then gently pulled back a lip to check her teeth, a slight pink stain on them and her lips. There was no way they were sharp enough to make the slashes on her skin, but they were too recent to be anything else.

"Just treat the wound. I'm certain it's nothing to worry about." So why was he worried? If she slept all day, then she would have less of a problem with staying up all night again, and the next full moon would be a month away. It would be a challenge to keep her here, but if he released her for now, then she would be even harder to find the next time. Muta climbed over the wall.

"I'll wake her up about three-ish, and just ask her to let you take a peak. I doubt her allergies could activate if she showed her face for three seconds."

Baron nodded, starting to feel skeptic about the fat cat's persuading techniques. 


	4. The Criminal's Negotiation

Alone Chapter Four: The Criminal's Negotiation

A soft paw rubbed against Haru's cheek, and she struggled to regain consciousness.

"Yuki-chan?" she mumbled hopefully. A harsh laugh greeted her ears.

"Not exactly, Chicky."

Her eyes shot open, and Renaldo Moon was grinning at her.

"Morning, Sleepy Head, although it's more afternoon-" he jumped away fast to avoid her fist, already warned about her amazing reflexes. Her eyes were nearly on fire. She got to her knees; her anger beginning to return with a vengeance.

"All right; you've had your fun, I spent the night in the accursed garden, and now I'm leaving."

The fat cat shook his head.

"Last night didn't count, since my master didn't see your face. You'll need to stay another night."

Her eyes caught on fire again.

"Just who does he think he is, to kidnap girls and hold them against their will?!"

"He's the lord of the realm, and you're the only one that didn't come willingly."

Haru snorted indelicately. Not another one. She got to her feet, noting that the bird was still babysitting her.

She wasn't as dumb as many thought her to be; she could tell why the lord of the realm was so interested in single of-age girls.

"Can't you just tell the guy to join a dating service?"

The white cat laughed.

"I could, but he wouldn't listen. He has to see girls by moonlight; it's a little complicated."

She laughed harshly.

"Don't my actions make it clear that I don't want any part of your master's plans? Just let me go."

He shook his head.

"Not until he sees your face under the moonlight. Come on, three seconds can't kill you."

Her face darkened, and she clenched her fists from painful memories.

"Actually, it can. Last time my face was bare under the moon for three seconds, I nearly died." She decided not to go into details on the how. "I don't care who your master is, Mister Moon, but I can tell you right now that he won't gain anything by keeping me here."

"You'd be surprised, and I go by Muta."

Her anger faded, replaced by a silly thought.

"Moo-ta?"

The bird started laughing hysterically, not able to mistake her meaning. The huge cat hissed at her.

"Are you saying I'm a fat cow?!"

Haru shook her head, struggling to contain her mirth.

"No, you're just fat-oops!" She covered her mouth and broke into giggles as the cat waddled away, hissing. Then he sharply charged her and clawed her skirt, putting several long rips into the durable fabric. This cut off her laughter, and she hurriedly pulled on the torn skirt to cover her legs.

"Wasn't that going a bit far?!" she shouted at the cat as he scrambled back inside the castle. He answered over his shoulder.

"So was referring to my weight!"

The slim brunette started muttering darkly as she turned to face the corner again, pulling a needle and thread from her bag to start repairs.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Baron was tapping his foot disapprovingly as the huge cat waddled up next to him.

"I don't care what she said about your appearance; what you did was inexcusable."

Muta shrugged.

"You should thank me. She's not going to try escaping until her skirt's fixed, and the sun should be setting by the time she's finished."

The cat curled up on a chair as his lord thought about the idea. The girl was already sewing at a furious pace with her back towards the castle, muttering darkly under her breath, doubtlessly cursing Muta. She hadn't noticed the basket of food he had left close to her, since she had to have been hungry by now.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Who does he think he is? I wasn't even trying to offend the little Butterball!" She had finished with the first two rips, and was halfway through the third.

It paid to be the daughter of a quilt maker. Thanks to learning the art of a needle and thread, Haru had been able to provide for herself the necessities she couldn't get on her own. She still didn't know why the villagers in the newest town she had been trading with found her work so pleasing, but she had been grateful that they had. It had taken all of her willpower not to trade for boots the first month, since her old ones were falling apart. But she needed more thread and fabric for her embroidery in order to afford boots later. Such a shame she would have to leave already; she was getting attached to her new life here. She shook her head at herself, surprised that she hadn't learned her lesson by now.

Her stomach growled loudly, making her stop long enough to sift through her bag for some fish jerky she kept for emergencies like this. She had noticed the basket someone had thoughtfully put near her, but she wasn't dumb enough to actually eat any of its contents.

"Probably contains enough sedatives to put me out until the next full moon anyway." She ate only half of the fish jerky she kept in her bag, even though she could have eaten twice of everything she had, whether it was food or not. She had to pace herself for the escape. The slim brunette glared at the giant bird on the wall, which had managed to compose itself after her harmless question and was now looking at her with amusement.

In order to escape, she had to take down the crow, but how? She was about to start on the third rip again when she suddenly remembered her arm. She had bitten herself a few times during the night to keep herself awake, and the wounds would undoubtedly need treatment. She pulled up one sleeve, not noticing the repairs to the material. What surprised her was that the wounds were already covered with a sturdy white bandage. She felt the cuts through the cloth, now noticing the stitches. Her soul convulsed.

Someone had _touched_ her.

She hurriedly pulled her sleeve down and looked at the stitches on the brown fabric. The technique was medically professional, which made her feel a little better. She didn't trust Muta close to her with a needle.

Haru repressed another shudder as she continued stitching her skirt together. She hadn't touched another human outside of a few rare handshakes and forced rescues since before her brush with the Cat Kingdom, which was over two years ago. She just felt too dirty to have close contact.

'_You don't know what you're saying, Babe. Maybe you just need time to get used to the idea.'_

Every inch of her skin crawled disgustingly, remembering the perverted king of cats. He had done this to her so she would despise being a human, and want to be a cat instead. Specifically, his cat bride. His stupidity had already cost her so much; her home village, her family, her friends…

An image of a strong tall youth came into her mind, his longish hair falling over his eyes in a roguish manner as he grinned at her. The grin faded to an expression of horror and revulsion towards the girl he had promised to love forever. Haru shook her head violently, trying to reassert her vow to never think of him again. He was probably with someone else by now anyway. Her heart threatened to shatter like glass once more.

'_Not here, not now.'_ She would never give anyone the satisfaction of seeing her cry again. That was one of the bigger reasons she had moved to a deserted forest; she was impossible to track in the dense trees, nearly ensuring her life as a hermitess. She didn't even try to learn the local language so that people wouldn't want to talk to her outside of bargaining for goods. Her heart grew heavy in her chest; she hadn't even harvested anything from her garden yet, and she would already have to abandon it. Supernatural crow or not; if anyone could find her, then she needed to move again, especially where cats are concerned.

As she started to close off the last rip, she subtly fingered a scrap from her demolished mask. As carefully as she could, she wrapped the scrap around a handful of dirt and sewed it loosely into a small ball. It was too late to escape now, the sun beginning to set; but her greatest weapon had always been the element of surprise…


	5. The Fulfilled Prophecy

Alone Chapter Five: The Fulfilled Prophecy

This night, there was no attempt at subtlety on either side. Every window facing the garden was full of light and the curious faces of all who served in the castle were looking down at the lone girl in the garden, who once more had both arms covering her head and most of her face, only her angry eyes seeable. The only one not seen by her was the Cat Lord, who continued to watch her through the one-sided window. Muta had a new plan to get Haru to reveal herself, but had to swear three times over to Baron that she wouldn't have a scratch on her afterwards. But he still refused to say what he would do, enlisting the aid of others. The fat cat waddled from the castle and past Toto to get close enough to the girl, who glared angrily and took a step away from him.

"Relax, Chicky; my master's grounded me from shredding your belongings. I'm going to ask you one more time to please put your hands down, and then we're prepared to fight dirty."

The girl pointedly turned away from the fat cat, her arms staying around her head.

"Don't say I didn't warn you!" He nodded at Toto, who cawed once. A small boy climbed out of a window, his mother protesting as he started pacing the long wall from the opposite side as the cat and bird.

Haru watched him warily, and her eyes widened in horror and understanding. Her voice went low and disbelieving as she spoke.

"You wouldn't _dare_."

Baron blinked. Did he just understand her? Muta grinned.

"You wanna bet? Tell him, Toto!"

Since the only cat-speaker in the watching crowd was the Cat Lord, the crow had to translate for the boy, who had stopped a few feet away from the foreign girl and was smiling deceptively at her.

"Do it, Henry!"

The boy's mother shrieked as he leaned down and jumped from the wall as far as he could into the garden. Haru's arms shot out on reflex, and she smoothly took two steps in order to catch the boy and swing him slightly in her arms to counter the momentum, cradling him close to her chest.

Everyone in the castle gasped, and when Henry looked up at her, he was unable to look away, as was Baron. Muta and Toto could only gape.

Her eyes flashed angrier than ever, but it was difficult to focus on them, the whiskers being a little distracting. Her huge pointed ears were now at the top of her head and laid flat against the scalp in irritation, and she was breathing sharply through her little kitten nose in order to stay somewhat calm; her entire face had taken a new shape and was covered by the lightest shade of tan fur. If she had a tail, the skirt was long enough so that no one could see it.

She had become part cat.

Her arms trembled with anger, but she didn't release the child just yet. She glared at the people in the castle, perhaps trying to guess which one was in charge, and then looked down, fighting back tears. The one who was in charge could hear a wise old witch he had met years before.

'_Because you have been so good to this people, I will tell your future; you will recognize your mate for life when you see her under the light of a full moon. Truly, none within your service will be able to deny her identity, so don't get too discouraged if you start feeling she will never appear. In order not to get attached to the wrong one, I suggest building a secluded garden…'_

Baron could hardly contain his excitement; she was finally here! Haru was the one the old witch had told him about! He should have expected something like a werecat if a full moon was a critical factor. This completely explained why she was a wonderful acrobat.

'_Mental note to self; send a thank you note to the Jalin mayor in the morning.' _

The brown half-cat gently set Henry down and ruffled his hair sadly. Her gaze sharpened as she looked at the opposite wall and charged. She back-flipped gracefully onto the wall, Toto and Muta moving in to stop her from escaping, the crowd from inside the castle begging her not to go with cries and shouts. But since she couldn't understand them, all she heard were the screams.

"Hold it, kid-"

She jumped back before Muta could pounce on her, and sharply tossed something at Toto that exploded in his face. He started moving his head desperately from side to side, cawing madly. This distracted the white cat long enough for Haru to jump off the wall unmolested. Baron opened his special window and jumped down in order to follow.

He wasn't about to let her go after years of waiting.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Toto shook his head once more, and his vision cleared.

"Wasn't that a bit much for her to do? She didn't even give us a chance to tell her about Baron."

Muta hissed, and followed the Lord off the wall as he started scouring the area. The fat cat jumped in front of him.

"That won't be necessary. She headed that way." He gestured with one paw towards a specific direction, making his master smile. _That_ way wasn't as bad as any other. He nodded at Toto, who took off and started circling the area, calling out for the were-cat.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Haru shook her head as she ran, disgusted with herself for falling for the 'endangered child' act again. It was even blatantly obvious that it was fixed this time. She could hear the crow's voice behind her, and knew that she wouldn't make it to the forest in time. She headed toward a pile of rocks she had spotted the first time she escaped and crawled into the hole at the base with some difficulty. She was more comforted by the fact that the crow couldn't reach her in there, even if he managed to find her. She was more grateful than ever for the hard years that made her body lean and flexible, the slight malnourishment making her hiding place possible.

Her face. Her stupid face. Haru reached up with one hand to cover it, willing the tears to wait until she was out of danger.

She could hide everything else about being a werecat. Long boots, skirt, sleeves, gloves…of course, if anyone paid attention to her gloves, they would notice how the very tips had hemmed openings for her claws, when she needed them in a hurry. But her face! Her mask was the only way she could disguise it, and Muta had kindly shredded it for her. He should have been grateful that she didn't shred him. Snipping her whiskers and shaving her face never lasted for over two seconds, the magic reinforcing itself before the work was even done (and she was only left with cuts to show for her efforts).

And even a hood wasn't good enough to hide her ears, with punk kids and windy weather always threatening to pull it off. It was days like this when she regretted not killing the Cat King when she had the chance. How dare he think that she would want anything to do with him after putting her through years of pain and solace?!

She was so tired of running for her life, of running in general…but she wasn't quite tired of living yet.

"Ha-ru! Ha-ru!" The crow circled overhead, his voice deceptively calm. Her heart raced as she struggled to think about what to do next.

'_Okay, returning to my tent's not an option, since he will probably look there again. I think I'll wait for him to get tired of looking, and head north this time. Even though the master of this place has doubtlessly lost any romantic interest he might have had in me, the mob that's more than likely organizing right now will cause some difficulty.'_

As it always did when she was forced to run for her life, her mind wandered back to the first mob that ran out her out of a community. Her heart quivered as she remembered her old boyfriend's disgusted face as he urged the villagers onward, waving a torch at her as she disappeared into a forest with only a hastily stuffed shoulder bag. Even her mother didn't put up resistance for her daughter's sake, believing the young man's ridiculous story over hers.

The crow called again, making her wiggle deeper into the hole. Did he honestly expect her to answer him? She knew he had to be at least partially intelligent if he could talk, but-

She suddenly heard a crack, and fell through another hole that had appeared underneath her. She cried out in surprise, not caring if the giant bird heard her.

Her landing was surprisingly soft, but Haru didn't see what it was, since she had closed her eyes in preparation for a hard floor. Was she in a hammock? No, it was probably a sling or something to catch escapees. She slowly cracked one eye open, and got the shock of her life.

She had landed squarely into the arms of an extremely handsome tomcat, impeccably dressed in a light crisp suit complete with top hat. She blushed deeply, remembering the form that she was currently in. But how could this cat have caught her if she was still at human height? She looked down at her shoulder, where his firm gloved fingers were holding her. Was he a werecat too?

A recognizable laugh caught her attention, and she looked left to see Muta holding a long rope hanging from the ceiling. A glance upwards told her that she had been hiding right on top of a trap door, obviously put there for escapees like her. She flushed redder from embarrassment, realizing that she had done exactly what they wanted her to do.

Outside, she could hear the crow laughing his head off.


	6. The Cat Lord

Alone Chapter Six: The Cat Lord

"Oh, bad word."

The orange cat holding her chuckled as she struggled desperately not to think about how comfortable his arms were.

'_Repeat after me, Haru; you are NOT enjoying this, you are NOT enjoying this. You're not paying attention, Haru!'_

"Is that how you usually express displeasure?" Even his voice was warm and attractive, with the accent of the area. Muta jumped.

"Hey, I thought you couldn't understand a word she said!"

The dapper cat shrugged.

"Apparently that's only true while she's a human. I can understand her now, in any case."

The fat cat smiled evilly.

"Looks like you won't need me in order to flirt with her. I'd have just filtered out the better stuff anyway."

Haru's emotions were going hay-wire, and she struggled to get out of his arms. He just tightened his grip on her.

'_Oh, crud. I don't think he's going to let go.' _

"Uh, excuse me, but could you please put me down?"

He grinned at her.

"Are you going to run again?"

She didn't hesitate.

"As fast as my legs can carry me."

He hugged her tighter. He was so _warm_; a pleasant change from what she was used to…

"Then I'm disinclined to acquiesce as you request."

Muta decided to translate.

"He means no."

Haru glowered and continued to struggle. This cat must be behind everything that had happened for the past two days. His well-muscled arms held her close as she moved around like a fish out of water. Ha, even if this feels nice, there was no way in heck she was going to let herself get roped into another relationship, especially if it was with a cat. _Dang_, he must be a body-builder or something…

"I figured as much. Listen Pal; you have no right to keep me here, you got to see my face under moonlight, now please let go before _I_ start fighting dirty."

The orange cat chuckled again, his green eyes amused.

"If you haven't started yet, then what do you call what you did to Toto?"

She stopped struggling for a second.

"Who's Toto?"

"The bird-brain outside," Muta informed her.

"Oh, I call it evening the playing field. You've got landscape and muscle to your advantage, and all I've got is brains. By the way," she said as she shrunk and slipped out of the strange half-cat's arms, using the element of surprise to her advantage. "It's all I've really needed." Now smaller than Muta, about the size of an average cat, she used the precious seconds of stunned shock to run down the long tunnel that the trap door had led her to.

It still felt too soon when she could hear someone pursuing her, probably the orange cat. She switched back to human height to make each stride count for more as she desperately searched for a way out.

"And it's von Gikkingen vs. Yoshioka; round one!" Muta had gotten his paws on something metallic and was banging it like a gong. Haru growled under her breath, thinking that the fat cat was having far too much fun with her predicament.

'_Okay, good news is that this means that there won't be a mob this time. Bad news is that it's been replaced by a smitten half-cat that probably has all the physical advantages I do. Possibly more, since I haven't eaten or slept well for the past two days. I'm starting to miss the mobs; the smitten half-cat's way scarier.'_ She hadn't gotten this scared by a pursuer in over a year. A slim light was before her now, the exit perhaps? She opened the door as she walked through it, not caring if she broke it.

She had come out to a forested area, her specialty for losing pursuers, nighttime being to her advantage. The villagers from the newest village were fairly easy to lose, since all she had to do was change heights and hide in a bush so small that no one ever glanced at it twice. She lunged for the trees as firm footsteps pounded the staircase to the door like a drum beating behind her.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Baron came out of the exit, and watched with horror as Haru disappeared into the edge of the Ebony Forest. He didn't bother to think about her experience with forests before following.

She was difficult to keep an eye on, constantly changing sizes and directions in order to shake him from her trail, but nothing worked on the Cat Lord.

He should have known better than to let his guard down for the split second it took her to escape from his grasp, but it felt so _good_ to hold her close… this thought encouraged him to keep trying. That and the blush. She couldn't be as disgusted by him as she acted, if seeing him could make her react like that.

"You do realize that the more you resist, the more I'm attracted to you?" He could hear her groan in dismay a couple yards in front of him, making another sharp turn.

"Great, _another_ cat that likes difficult women. Why don't you just join a dating service or something?"

He laughed as the distance between them lessoned, Haru starting to run low on energy. How much did it take out of her to switch heights this constantly?

"The Full Moon Act _was_ my dating service, and I'd say it worked pretty well." Granted, it took longer than he would have liked, but since Haru looked fairly young, possibly still under-aged, perhaps it was a good thing. He could see her legs start shaking with every step, using more energy than she had. He could almost reach out and touch her hair as it flowed behind her. She started gasping for breath.

"Even…if you…catch me…won't do…any-" she was cut off when a tree root tripped her, and she didn't have enough strength to find her footing. Baron caught her before she hit the ground, and swept her into his arms again. She could do no more than weakly beat on his chest and try to push him away, barely more than resting her fists temporarily on him. She growled weakly at the Cat Lord, hoping that he would get the point soon. Baron started back for his home as he tried to think of what to do next.

"You know, if you had actually eaten the food I left you, you would have been able to run longer."

She managed a scoff through her gasps.

"I make it a point…not to trust food…from kidnappers…what are you doing…giving me…pointers?"

He spotted a fallen log to his left, and decided not to bring the fight to his castle. He walked towards the log and set her down, clearly confusing her. He sat a respectable foot away, still gazing at her.

"Are you usually so distrustful, Miss Haru?"

She weakly laughed; her eyes still angry.

"Of course, I have to be. It's the only reason I'm still alive." She tried to lift one leg, but couldn't manage more than an inch off the ground, the limb still shaking badly.

Baron looked at her sadly, wishing that the witch had given him a little more notice concerning his promised mate's character. To think, he had been worrying about the girl being overjoyed at the prospect of marrying a noble despite whatever his character was like, and she had already turned down a king with dire consequences.

Haru's breathing had become regular, but her legs were still not responding to her commands.

"Look Sir; the attention's flattering and everything, but I'm truly not interested in a relationship."

He smiled at her.

"Of course you're not interested. You don't know me at all, and the circumstances we met under were less than favorable."

She stared at him, stunned that he had seen directly into the heart of the problem, let alone so quickly.

"A guy with a clue? Man, I thought your kind was extinct."

He laughed, pleased that she had a sense of humor.

"Not quite, but I am distressed that you're unwilling to give me a chance."

Her eyes faded from remembered pain.

"The last man I gave a chance to tore my heart apart, so I'm not exactly eager to get back into the 'swinging single scene', if you get my drift."

Baron thought about what Muta had already told him of her.

"Was he the one you turned down the Cat King for?"

She looked down at her feet and nodded sadly. The story spilled out before she could stop it.

"We were childhood sweethearts, and our union was arranged by our parents before we turned twelve. Then I found out that his oath of undying devotion's expiration date just happened to coincide with the first and only time he saw me with whiskers. He managed to convince everyone in my village including my mother and himself that I wasn't the real Haru, but a demon that had taken her shape after devouring her soul to take her place at the wedding that was still a few months away. He led my first mob."

She wasn't looking at him, but at her intertwined fingers, trying to keep the tears at bay. The raw pain was still there, after years of wandering…

Baron stared at her, not expecting the confession or the emotion. He had been worried about what would happen if his girl was with someone else, but this was a little intense of a break-up.

"What was the fellow's name?"

She still didn't look up.

"Machida. Machida Mishuzi." The name still left a slightly bitter taste on her tongue. She suddenly looked up at him, remembering her manners. "I'm sorry, what's yours?"

He smiled at her, and placed his top hat over his heart.

"Baron Humbert von Gikkingen, but I prefer to be called Baron."


	7. The Compromise

To the ones who read the last chapter; yes, I did steal the acquiesing a request line from Pirates of the Carribean. I just didn't add the disclaimer, and it fitted the situation so well.

Without further ado; the next chapter!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Alone Chapter Seven: The Compromise

She smiled politely, though still a bit defensively, and tried to get to her feet, which were still unresponsive. The werecat fell back on the log, her anger starting to return.

"It was nice talking to you, Mr. Gikkingen, but I need to get going now. The Cat King's still looking for me, and I can't stay in one place long enough to be found by one of his people." She tried to get up again, but the Cat Lord placed one hand on her shoulder.

"I told you 'Baron' was fine. You mean to say that even after stripping away your former life…?"

She laughed bitterly.

"Yep, that was partially why he made me a werecat and deposited me in the village on a full moon night. He wanted my old fiancé to dump me so that I'd be up for grabs, and give me a loathing for humans so that I would want to marry him instead. Lights are on in his head, but no one's been home for years." She shook her head in disgust, her legs only beginning to have feeling in them, the bruises from the night before throbbing painfully. Baron stood up and began pacing in front of the log angrily.

"He's even worse than Muta described him. The Cat King has absolutely no right to do this kind of thing, especially to someone outside his kingdom!"

Haru raised one hand tentatively to distract him.

"I sort of am from his kingdom now, but that makes humiliating him all the sweeter. I hope Prince Lune takes the throne soon; he has a lot more sense than his father." She tried to get up again, but Baron swept her into his arms and headed back to the castle.

"I will deal with the Cat King when the opportunity comes."

She stiffened in his arms, wondering if he had gotten her point yet. She guessed not.

"You do know you're doing the same thing he did, right?"

He looked at her sharply, shocked that she could see a resemblance between him and that despicable rogue.

"You're just imposing your will on me, even though you have no authority over me." Her low tone said plainly that if her emotions and vocal chords weren't shot, she'd be screaming every syllable. Right now, Haru was thinking that the only differences between this guy and the feline monarch were their appearance and how they talked.

"I'll just escape again, and I won't bother playing nice with anyone. Nobody has the right to tell me what to do but me. I don't care what you have, what you're in charge of, or that you're a half cat like me. I'm not interested in you. We don't know each other, and I doubt I could ever have a successful relationship with someone that uses children for bait. It's very simple; let me go or _I'll_ let _myself_ go, most likely with severe casualties on your side." From the way her body was tensed up, he could believe that she'd try to escape that minute, if she just had the energy for it.

This guy had no clue how lucky he was; that she was too tired to even spit on him. But her strength would return, and he would be toast when it did.

Baron opened his mouth to protest, but found that he couldn't. He may not have kidnapped her, but Toto did on his behalf, since she couldn't understand what was going on. He had forced her to stay and reveal her secret, with much forceful coaxing from his two best friends. Now that he thought about it, the witch had just said that he would recognize his mate for life, not that everything would be smooth-sailing afterwards. Wasn't he worrying only last week that the girl would fall over him for being wealthy and reasonably young? One thing was crystal clear; Haru would like nothing better than for him to put her down and go home alone.

But…he had been waiting _nine years_ for her! There was no way on earth he was going to let her go so easily, but he didn't doubt for a second that she would follow through with her threat of escaping, though slightly skeptical about her ability to cause the amount of pain she was describing. But the fact that she was so willing to promise it…he couldn't help but find it attractive, after years of seeing girls that could be won without even meeting him.

They were in a deadlock. He would do everything in his power to keep her, and she would do everything in her power to escape. How long ago did Muta say the CK incident occurred, two and a half years? Just what had Haru lived through since then, to end up on the opposite side of the continent, and to react like she was running for her life instead of her single status when her secret was revealed? She was so _cold_, both spiritually and physically; if she would just give him a chance, he could prove that he had nothing in common with the Cat King. He could warm her soul, if she'd let him. He knew she had a good heart, or she would have just let Henry fall. The more he saw of her character, the more he wanted to know about her.

If he didn't do something fast, all chances for sharing a genuine love with his mate would fly out the window. He sighed, rounding a tree.

"You're right."

Haru blinked at him disbelievingly.

"Excuse me?"

"You're completely right. I don't have authority over you, and no one should but yourself. I guess it was a bit foolish on my part to think I could figuratively sweep you off your feet as well as literally. And we don't really know anything about each other." Except that they had matching stubborn streaks. The werecat was staring at him like the bridge between their languages had already collapsed, and he was speaking gibberish again.

"In my defense, Muta didn't tell me what he was planning to get you to reveal yourself. I was surprised as everyone else when Henry jumped."

The brunette's hard eyes softened slightly, but the Cat Lord could still see the iron will beneath. Okay, she was more willing to listen to him, and he only had one shot to get her to agree to let him at least prove that he was different from her last suitor. An agreement…

"It's obvious that neither of us is willing to back down concerning this, so I suggest a compromise."

She cocked her head at him.

"What kind of compromise?"

He smiled at her; unknowingly making her heart beat faster.

"If you stay at my castle for six months with an open mind and heart, I won't make you stay afterwards if you don't want to." By then if she didn't want to, forcing her to stay anyway would be pointless. She thought about it before another blush stained her cheeks.

"Are you asking me to move in with you?"

He blushed too, but quickly composed himself.

"You'll be in a completely separate wing, and there are more than enough servants around to act as chaperones. I know I've done wrong by you, but I want to make it up. Please, give me a chance to prove myself."

Haru was a little intimidated by the amount of emotion in his voice, his eyes begging her to accept.

"Just trust me."

She looked away and closed her eyes to clear her mind.

The werecat's thoughts ever since the Cat Kingdom incident was that she would be spending the rest of her life alone and running from bloodthirsty villagers, since it was preferable to being the Cat Queen, and she had greatly doubted that any guy would look at her that way when they knew about her cat side. But Baron seemed like a nice guy now that she's talked to him, and if anyone could understand her cat side, it would definitely be him.

Would it be possible for her to learn to trust anyone again, let alone the level he was asking of her?

Out of all the guys in her life, he _was_ the one that showed the most consideration for her in either form, the stitches in her arm nagging at her conscience. Baron was definitely the only suitor that tried to come to an agreement with her, since even her old fiancé would just decide things without telling her first. She tried never to even think his name, if she could help it.

But then, who said that a first love had to be an only love?

"You're just going to hunt me down if I try to run, aren't you?"

He nodded.

"There's that, and… perhaps you'd enjoy a break from running. It must be old by now. And Muta would keep all other cats far from the area for an extra plate of food every night." He held her a little tighter, as if he was worried she would escape again.

Haru stared at him, wondering if he could read her thoughts. She _was_ tired of running, beyond anyone's imagining. A vacation from it would be heavenly.

She laughed lightly, not exactly being in a position to turn him down. Who knows? Maybe this could work, if she was willing to let it. And if nothing else, it felt _good_ to be embraced again, to have someone care that she was alive. Her mother always used to tell her that it took a real and mentally strong man to admit that he was wrong, let alone try to fix his mistake…

She sighed, recognizing a lost battle when she saw it. The slim brunette had lied when she said that she had absolute zero interest in him anyway.

"I guess I better start making an effort to learn the local language then."

Baron beamed at her and squeezed. Haru let herself relax a little in his arms, still tired from the past two days.

"Was there anything you wanted to get from your home?" he asked her, stepping around another fallen tree.

"Not really. I keep all the stuff I care about in here just in case I need to flee another mob." She patted the bag that was still tied to her hips. His expression darkened as he rounded another tree, thinking about the faceless villagers that left his Haru mentally scarred, her tone suggesting that it happened so often that she didn't even turn a hair anymore. No wonder she ran when her secret was revealed.

"That is a predicament that will never rise again, if I have any say in the matter."

She smiled, wishing it were that easy to avoid.

"So, how come you're a cat?"

He smiled ironically.

"My grandfather had a disagreement with a sorcerer, and you're looking at the result of their feud. He and Father married normal human girls, so you took me off guard." He hugged her again as the castle came into view, Toto and Muta pacing the grounds in front of the entrance. She stiffened a bit when the bird looked at her, but he just laughed and said something she couldn't understand. The cat criminal was shaking his head sadly.

"I'm disappointed, Chicky; I betted that you would evade Baron for at least another hour."

She glared at him.

"If you don't want to lose bets, then stay away from the gambling table."

The orange cat laughed as he walked past the two.

"She has a good point, Muta."

The crow said something as he flew over their heads towards the castle, a note of question in his tone. Baron repeated what Haru had said, which sent the bird into another fit of laughter, Muta glaring at him. Toto said something else, which Baron translated for Haru.

"He says he already likes you, and he forgives you for the dirt."

She cringed a bit.

"It was nothing personal; he was just too good at keeping me from escaping. Could you tell him I'm sorry anyway?"

He grinned broadly as he did so, two guards opening the huge gate for them, both smirking widely at the brunette cat.

"Baron, is the little boy still in the garden?"

He shook his head, still smiling widely. Muta answered for him.

"Bird-brain here got the kid out after you fell through the trap door; he's probably in bed right now."

The castle was fast approaching them.

"I feel better now." She curled up a bit as the tall half-cat looked at her with amusement. "I think I can walk the rest of the way," she continued, hoping he would catch the hint. It would be a little too embarrassing to walk into a castle full of people in a man's arms. The Cat Lord grinned at her.

"Perhaps, but I'm not about to take the risk." He squeezed her again as she privately thought that he was just enjoying the excuse to hold her. All this affection would take a bit of getting used to, after two and a half years of being alone.

When Baron walked through the doors, a huge crowd had gathered to greet him and his companions, the children noticeably missing and probably in bed. Everyone got really excited at seeing Haru in their master's arms. She blushed deeply, guessing what they were saying as they tried to crowd around her to get a closer look. Baron took a step back from them, noting her discomfort.

"Please, friends; Miss Haru's nerves are already shot and she's exhausted. She's agreed to a trial period, so let's try to be gentle with her. Mrs. Jennes, I'm putting her under your charge." He regretfully put the brunette down as a matronly woman came forward, a warm smile on her face for the slight girl. "She's expressed a desire to learn our language, but she doubtlessly wants to make an acquaintance with a pillow right now."

The werecat nodded her head enthusiastically, making everyone laugh. She grinned, glad that some things didn't need to be translated.

Mrs. Jennes walked up to Haru and held her hand out, saying something warm and pleasant to the ears. The young woman glanced at the Cat Lord, who nodded his head and smiled encouragingly at her. Hesitantly, she grabbed the woman's hand, and she was led away from the crowd and down a long corridor. After she was gone, the crowd started to fire questions at their lord, desperately wanting to know more about their future mistress. Toto and Muta kept to one side, being solitary creatures by nature.

The dark bird was glad that he wasn't on babysitting duty anymore, but the cat criminal was disappointed in more that the fact that Haru was captured quicker than he expected. He knew another secret about the Yoshioka girl, and was a bit sad that he couldn't see if the rumors about her 'other' physical abilities were as good as professed to be. He grinned evilly, thinking about how his master would react when he found out.

"One thing's for sure; Baron's new girlfriend will make life around here more interesting."


	8. The Werecat's Musings

Alone Chapter Eight: The Werecat's Musings

Haru stretched lazily, her still-sleeping mind confused at her new surroundings. The floor of her tent was never this soft, and she could smell fresh linen sheets instead of earth. Opening her eyes, she found herself in a fairly large but tasteful room, the sunlight streaming through an open window. She sat up in the canopied bed, remembering what had happened.

Her arms felt uncomfortably bare, since the kind woman from the night before had insisted that she change into a nightgown before crashing on the bed (a luxury she had almost forgotten existed). She touched the smooth material with her now-human hand, never feeling anything quite like it, being raised in a small village in a secluded valley, hardly anyone being stupid enough to visit them uninvited. In fact, she had never come close to anything this fine.

'_This fabric's too delicate to be good for anything besides sleeping anyway.'_ She laughed softly at her own thoughts, being raised to be practical. Under the quilt, she crossed her legs and rested her elbows on them in order to hold up her head._ 'Points to Baron; although he clearly has plenty of money and good ranking, he knew better than to try to use them as bait.'_

When the Cat King had pressed his suit, he wouldn't stop talking about how well-off he was, even kidnapping her so she could see for herself what a fine kingdom he had, what a great husband he'd be, and what would be hers if she accepted him. She shuddered.

'_Even marrying a cat doesn't seem as bad as marrying one either old enough to be my father or my little brother, depending on the look at human or cat years. I wonder how old Baron is.'_ She blushed, thinking about his handsome face and how he was able to keep up with her. Even if by a twist of fate he was the same age as the Cat King, at least her new suitor behaved with dignity, the constant hugging aside. That fact alone put him several rungs above the feline monarch.

That, and the fact that 'babe' doesn't appear to be in his vocabulary.

She could still feel the orange cat's strong and warm arms around her, making her blush again. Someone knocked on her door, making her cover herself up again just in case.

"Who is it?" she called out before remembering that only Baron and Muta could understand her at any given time. The older woman from the night before walked in with a breakfast tray between her hands. She beamed at the girl still in bed as she said something cheerful, probably good morning.

Haru smiled at her and started to pull the covers off. The woman, Mrs. Jennes, stopped her and ran to shut the door, even pulling out a robe before letting the girl eat the eggs and toast. Being used to chopsticks, Mrs. Jennes had to help her as she said the local name for various items and pointing at them so she would understand. Haru repeated the words, leaving a taste in her mouth that wasn't from the strange food.

Mrs. Jennes struggled to say something else, her eyes lost as she tried to communicate with the girl. Giving up, she just embraced the brunette before taking the tray away. Haru wasn't quite sure what inspired the gesture, becoming more and more confused by these strange people. She thought about something her father said before he died in a horse accident years before.

"_You can always tell the character of a leader by looking at his subjects, for they are his reflection."_

When she first found the last village, she had been amazed that there appeared to be no poor anywhere, and everyone looked fairly happy. More out of curiosity than anything, she had searched as much of the area as she dared; but there wasn't a single sign of true poor people. Were they just in different areas?

Mrs. Jennes returned with a lavender dress that might have been Haru's size, along with a young girl carrying a towel and full water jug. They were probably for a bath.

"What happened to my dress?"

The woman looked confused, and tried to help her out of the nightgown. Haru took a few steps back, and pulled at the nightgown's waist while pointing to herself.

"My. Dress." She made a looping motion with her pointer fingers. "From last night?"

The woman's eyes widened in understanding. She laid the new dress down and pulled at her own, then pointing to Haru, who nodded. The woman made ripping gestures, and stomped as delicately around the room as she could manage, playing harshly with an imaginary piece of fabric, making the tiny water-bearing waitress giggle.

Haru took that to mean that the woman thought her old dress had seen enough action to go into retirement. She sighed, remembering all the stitches that held the dress and coat together. If she had made repairs with white thread, she surely would have looked like a rag doll, if she didn't already.

"I guess you're right."

Mrs. Jennes could understand her submissive tone, and reached for the girl again.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The middle-aged maid wasn't all that sure if she was up to the task of keeping her lord's long-awaited bride and teaching her, but Miss Haru's mind was sharp enough to get her meaning across. Of course it would have to be, if she really crossed a continent by herself. She brushed the girl's hair before tying it back into a low ponytail with a simple ribbon, grateful that the young lady wasn't putting up more of a fight, although she was clearly uneasy with the dress Mrs. Jennes had ordered for her. The design was simple, since she was certain that the girl would refuse to wear anything fancy, being used to her durable brown dress. The maid marveled at just how pale the girl's skin was, figuring that she didn't take off her coat and gloves very often in her travels. She walked around to face Miss Haru.

"How old are you, dear?"

She blinked, and tilted her head to one side to say she couldn't understand. Striking on an idea, Mrs. Jennes beckoned little Halley closer, since she was still standing by to give assistance. She pointed to the girl, and flashed twelve fingers. Pointing to herself, she flashed thirty four, and then pointed to Miss Haru. Her eyes widened in understanding, and her fingers flashed nineteen. The older woman smiled. At least she was old enough to be courted, her huge eyes and slender figure making her easy to mistake for a younger girl. Miss Haru suddenly looked nervous.

"Beh-rohn?"

Mrs. Jennes was taken aback by the sound, barely understanding it to be her master's name.

"Baron?"

The girl nodded, and her keeper flashed twenty-seven. The young brunette got a slightly speculative look on her face, obviously thinking that the age difference wasn't as bad as it could have been. Mrs. Jennes laughed and held her hand out to her charge.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Baron was strangely able to keep his mind on his work, his heart finally at peace. The mountain of paperwork that should have taken several hours was done in two. The Cat Lord was always careful with his affairs, his mind clearer than it had been in a long time. Muta was sitting next to him for company.

"You wouldn't happen to be doing double time in order to flirt with Haru a bit more today, would you?"

Baron grinned as he stood up in his chair and stretched.

"I'm not even sure if she's awake yet, but I wouldn't complain about the extra time."

Muta got to his feet and waddled off in search of something more interesting. The orange cat grinned again, Haru's shy smile still in his head. He got out of his chair and headed down the spiraling staircase to the rest of the castle. The tower was his favorite because most people weren't willing to make the journey to talk to him over trivial matters. He was passing a balcony when he happened to look down into the garden within the castle walls. His step faltered.

Mrs. Jennes was leading Haru, now a human, through the flower section, pointing at various blossoms and saying their names. The slim brunette was carefully studying each bud and repeating the names, silently memorizing them. Every so often, her keeper would stop to introduce a gardener or passing servant, which Haru would prettily greet.

'_She cleans up nice.' _ Baron grinned, and headed down to relieve the maid from her duties for a while.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Note: if you watch the Japanese version of the movie, 'Beh-rohn' _is_ how Haru pronounces his name.


	9. The Courtship

Alone Chapter Nine: The Courtship

This particular day a few weeks later was Mrs. Jennes' day off, which meant Haru was free to roam the castle as she wished. She greeted everyone she met the best she could, still feeling a bit uneasy with her unsteady grasp of the new language. Thankfully, no one laughed at her missed attempts, although she could see them smiling a bit as they helped her with the correct pronunciation.

'_Even if they didn't care a thing about me, they would probably behave themselves for Baron's sake.'_ She had thought for sure that her way of saying his name was fine, but it made a few people giggle every time she used it. Only the fact that Muta told her they thought it was cute kept her from curling up in embarrassment and bricking her mouth shut. The full moon nights were still a few days away, but Baron had made it clear that he thought her way of talking was cute, if the constant hugs were any indication.

'_For crying out loud, __**I'm**__ not even cute enough to warrant this kind of fuss!' _But she knew better than to try to tell her suitor that, certain that he would get indignant on her behalf. She still felt a little uneasy around him, probably due to her heavy physical attraction to him (blaming the cat genes). If anything, she had learned to be more wary of good-looking people, and she knew better than to believe that Baron truly had no flaws. Well, he had a temper when it came to her past suitors, but did that count?

She came to a rather large door, and opened it softly, just in case someone was inside. No one was, and the curtains were drawn. Curious, Haru walked in and opened the fabric enclosures, throwing the room into light. She looked around, only recognizing a handful of the items carefully put away.

'_Lute, harp, flute…must be the music room.'_ The slim brunette looked at some of the strange instruments, some of which appeared to be metal. _'How can they produce a good sound being made out of melted rock?'_ She had been raised with the belief that metal was only good for tools and weapons-she shook her head violently to be rid of the unwanted memories. She was on this side of the continent to leave that past behind her. Her eyes strayed to a corner, and her breath caught in her throat.

After one of the yearly trips her father made to trade surplus for other goods, he brought back a description from the city of a great black monster with white and black teeth. The monster was supposed to have a voice as gentle as rain and as deep as thunder when someone sat in front of it and played with the teeth, but Haru didn't quite believe him. Yet, there was a large black thing on three legs in the corner, and a bench was in front of the white and black teeth. She walked up to it, and put a finger on one white tooth, surprised when it easily came down and made a clear sound.

The foreign girl withdrew her hand quickly, afraid that someone had heard.

No one came, so she took a deep breath and walked around the bench to sit, thoughtfully brushing the keys lightly so they wouldn't make a sound. Noticing that the key she had touched was more to the right, she hesitantly touched the one most to the left. A very deep sound followed the action, reminiscent of thunder.

Haru brightened; so her father _wasn't_ exaggerating. What was the name of the monster again? She remembered that it started with a 'pia' sound…

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

'_That girl moves a little too fast'_, Baron thought to himself as he roamed the halls, servants pointing him in the right direction with huge grins, not bothering to ask what he was looking for. He was passing the music room when he heard someone playing around on the piano. Was little Jimmy in there again? He peeked in, and was a little surprised to see Haru on the bench instead, styling a light green dress today. She still had a few issues with having more than one dress, but was comforted when Baron told her he had multiple copies of the same gray suit. She took her hands off the keys and raised one to her face, her back towards him.

"Pia-neh? Pian-ell?"

He caught on to what she was trying to say.

"Piano," he supplied. She raised her head and snapped her fingers.

"Hai, piano! Arigato…" she trailed off, guessing who was behind her. She turned to face him, a slight blush on her face as she struggled not to look guilty, and laughed a little nervously. "Hello, Beh-rohn."

He grinned, loving her version of his name. It sounded regular when she had fur, but he guessed that that was how it sounded to her as a human. Did he ever mispronounce hers?

"Hello, Haru."

She moved to get off the bench, but he put up one hand to stop her.

"Do you like the piano?"

She chewed her lip consciously and shrugged her shoulder.

"Father tell me about piano. I don't…" She struggled to find the right word, and then tapped her temple to give him an idea of what she was trying to say while using her own word.

"You don't…know?"

She nodded as he walked up and sat next to her on the bench. She looked at the keys again.

"Do you like, Beh-rohn?"

He smiled, and brought both hands to the ivory and ebony bars. He started with a simple melody that was light-hearted and soothing, the way he felt around her. Somewhere half-way through the song, he looked at her again.

Her gorgeous brown eyes seemed bigger than ever, and it looked like she was forgetting to breathe.

'_So she does have a weakness.'_ Baron took his hands off the keys and held her by the shoulders, chuckling a bit.

"Breathe, Haru."

She was broken out of her trance, and she took a few deep breaths, laughing slightly at herself.

"I like. I like the piano."

He laughed and hugged her, slightly surprised when she hesitantly laid her head on his chest, since she hadn't done that before, her hands gripping the front of his jacket. He noted her long slim fingers with interest.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Shh, you should see this!" One of the chambermaids struggled to contain her giggles as she pushed a large door open as silently as she could, three people behind her hearing music. The master had one hand on the piano's keys and the other guiding Miss Haru's as she tried to follow along with his lead. Her eyes were locked on Baron's hand as it glided across the keys, and she imitated his movements, oblivious to the presence of the eavesdroppers. For once, she didn't look tense in the slightest.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Mary-chan?"

Mrs. Jennes looked up from the mending at her charge, who was working on embroidering a wall-hanging as a holiday surprise for the Cat Lord. Three more months had gone by, and the cold winter was keeping them next to the roaring fire in the brunette's room. The maid had gotten used to what had to be a term of endearment attached to her name.

"Yes, Dear?"

Haru struggled to pronounce the words correctly, her progress in the language being more from Baron's guidance than the maid's. Her voice still had more of a flowing poetic accent from her first language.

"How come there aren't homeless people here? There were none in the village I was trading with."

Her keeper laughed.

"You won't find any homeless people in the Cat Lord's realm, because they don't exist."

Haru still looked confused, so Mrs. Jennes put the mending aside to hold the girl's hands.

"The master is a firm believer in helping people help themselves. It's well known that anyone can come here and ask for help if they need it. To be honest, the castle could function with only a third of the servants, and the master wouldn't mind just living in a small house by himself without hired help. But hiring people to do what they specialize in is his way of helping people get back on their feet, so we never have poor here."

Haru thought about the concept as Mrs. Jennes tightened her grip slightly.

"The master cares deeply about his people, and we are happy under his guidance. I think that's partially why he's so taken with you, since you didn't hesitate to save my Henry."

It was certainly why everyone else in the castle was taken with her. A girl that would do that under those circumstances could easily be judged as the perfect bride for their beloved Cat Lord. The girl laughed; the little boy in question would still try to sneak up and jump on her. Heavy emphasis on _try_; he was no ninja warrior by any stretch of the imagination.

"There wasn't time to hesitate, only enough to act. My secret's not worth a life, but it was still a low trick."

The old maid was about to say some more good things about Baron, but then remembered her promise not to shove his virtues down Miss Haru's throat, since she would surely be repulsed if it was carried too far. She released the girl and returned to her mending. The brunette didn't raise her needle again, tracing the tiny stitches with one finger. Her respect for the Cat Lord continued to grow as he tried desperately to make her feel at home as much as possible, even though she never required much.

Although he didn't have to, Baron had insisted on learning Haru's native tongue while she learned his, since it evened their level of communication. Good thing he was so clever; his mastery of her language was fast, and they could almost switch comfortably between the languages in their private conversations. It felt wonderful to be able to finally have a _real _talk with people again, and not feel guilty about hiding something big to stay alive. It felt glorious, not having to run anymore. Thoughts of leaving had trickled from once a day to maybe once or twice a month.

She knew now that Baron had lost his parents to a carriage accident when he was only fourteen. He was then required to assume all the duties of a responsible adult in charge of everyone and everything on the family lands, which were pretty vast as far as she could tell. Haru was his first and only girlfriend, since he had been too busy trying to run the family estates to think about girls or attempt to have a relationship with one before hearing the strange prophecy that brought her into his life.

It made her feel a little guilty, but thoughts of Machida (it didn't hurt to think his name anymore) were coming less frequently and much less painfully as Baron did his best to soothe her troubled heart. Knowing that he had been waiting nine years for someone like her to show up helped explain why he was willing to literally hunt her down and his constant hugs.

He was just lonely, like she had been. She snapped to attention, her mind on a different track.

She hadn't been _lonely_, she had been cautious. It was smarter to never get attached to the people that would probably be running her out of the area within three months. She had learned that lesson well from the first mob, which had consisted of people she had known for all of her life. She had grown used to the fact that she couldn't afford to let people into her personal life, and had been content with living alone.

'_Liar. You've missed Yuki's companionship, and when you found out that Baron was nice, you didn't want him to let go.' _She shook her head to get rid of the irritating voice echoing in her mind, and picked up her embroidery again. Learning that the village had viewed her work as lucky explained their strange behavior, with their shoving this bag of fruit or that new dress at her the two months after her first trading.

"There are worse fates than being Beh-rohn's new teddy bear," Haru said, referring to Henry's favorite toy besides her. Mrs. Jennes just couldn't resist the temptation.

"Don't you mean teddy cat?"

The girl quirked an eyebrow.

"That doesn't sound as good."

"But it's more accurate."

They both dissolved into laughter, the winter chill forgotten.


	10. The Duke's Visit

Alone Chapter Ten: The Duke's Visit

"A little to the left, Haru."

The Cat Lord purred in pleasure as his lady friend moved her hands across his back, relieving the stress that came from his job. Who would have thought the girl was a masterful masseuse? Her slim hands alternatively rubbed and scratched his back, a guard at the door acting as a chaperone for the couple. Haru giggled as the purring intensified, glad that she had found a way to repay Baron for his kindness. Eventually, she had to admit defeat as she withdrew and sat on a nearby chair, early spring present outside the window.

"At this rate, I'll never leave." The prospect didn't seem as horrible as it had the first week in the castle, her tone making the difference clear to the Cat Lord. He walked over and wrapped his arms around her again, glad that she had started hugging back, letting herself enjoy the affection he kept showering on her. Ever since that first meeting, she had never said the old fiancé's name again, and her face smiled much easier now.

A polite coughing caught their attention, and they reluctantly looked at the window where Toto was perched.

"As much as I hate to interrupt this, there's a traveling caravan downstairs that wishes to speak with you, Baron."

The Cat Lord sighed.

"Yes, I was expecting them; tell them I'll be down shortly."

The crow bowed and turned to fly back out the window as the orange cat linked arms with his girl-friend and started down the spiraling staircase.

Haru had insisted on running laps around the castle every day to stay in shape, even through the winter, and Baron joined her nearly every time, affairs of state sometimes getting in the way (accounting for the missed days). She was always good-natured about the necessary interruptions, understanding what he was in charge of. She didn't even tell him when her twentieth birthday came until a week after the fact, since he had already done so much for her. That didn't stop him from organizing a small celebration on her behalf though.

"Who's in this caravan?"

Baron grinned at her.

"The man leading them is a duke traveling around the world in order to write everything down for some great novel about the different customs and cultures of the world. He sent word about a month ago that he would be stopping by to talk to the mysterious feline ruler here, since there aren't too many of those."

Haru smiled, her eyes starting to fade.

"At least he's talking to the decent one." Suddenly her eyes sharpened. "Do you know if he has any cats with him?"

As Baron had promised, Muta had been keeping all other felines a good distance from the castle, after confirming that the Cat King still hadn't given up on her. At least, the fat cat kept away the ones that weren't already thrown off by the criminal's reputation.

"Muta's probably giving them a background check right now. Just trust me, Haru."

She smiled, having heard him say that multiple times over the past months. She squeezed his arm again as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Where have I heard that saying before? It sounds familiar…"

Baron just shook his head and laughed at her, tightening his own grip on her hand on his arm.

"There's one thing I've never been able to understand, Haru."

She looked up at him.

"What?"

He pointed at the silver disc on the horizon, visible through a passing window.

"The full moon's in the sky during the daytime, so how come you only shift at night?"

She blinked.

"I always figured that it was because the sun's light interferes with the moon's, and that only pure moonlight can make the change."

"If that's true, how come you're a cat when you're inside, where the light can't reach you?"

She was about to say something, and started giggling instead.

"You know, that's a good question! No clue about the answer, though." She thought about telling him the other detail, but decided it could wait a little longer.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

When they entered the main hall, a large caravan was waiting for them; a large mismatched group composed of many nationalities, like the finely dressed man at the front of them had been collecting samples from each place he visited. His eyes widened at seeing Baron, like he didn't actually expect him to be a real feline, but similar to one. He managed to compose himself.

"I take it you're the Cat Lord?"

Baron tipped his hat in acknowledgement.

"I am; do I have the pleasure of addressing the Duke of Gethel?"

The man nodded his head cordially.

"For an obvious cat-lover, I find it puzzling that my Toodles had to wait outside with the rest of my company."

Baron chuckled.

"It's a unique story, but I was lead to believe from your letter that you wished to speak about our customs and laws."

The foreign duke sighed.

"I am, but I have gathered much of the information I needed from traveling through a few of your villages. It's a little strange walking through a town square without seeing a single pickpocket or beggar."

Haru smiled, remembering her own surprise.

"Should I leave, Beh-rohn?"

He smiled at her lovingly.

"If you wish to; I won't be long."

She smiled, but sat down in a corner with a bit of embroidery she kept in a hidden pocket, the travelers following her with their eyes, wondering how a cat-man got a girl like _that_. Even the Duke could barely keep his eyes on the Cat Lord.

"That's a very fetching wife you have, Milord."

The orange cat and his girlfriend blushed, and composed themselves. Baron decided to set the record straight.

"I'm still courting Miss Yoshioka, but I think I can safely say that marriage is a possibility."

Everyone in the company jerked violently, shocked at what they had just heard. Many turned their eyes to one of the men in the back of the group, who hadn't taken his eyes off the girl since she entered the room, his mouth agape. The duke's eyes widened.

"That's impossible…is her first name Haru?"

Baron nodded, a little curious as to their strange reaction.

"I take it you've heard of her?"

"Yes, and I have some news for you; the girl can't possibly be Haru Yoshioka, or at least the real one."

The girl kept stitching, not even blinking as the Cat Lord chuckled.

"I'm aware that her family believes her to be eaten by a demon, but I can assure you that she is the true Haru Yoshioka."

The girl in question snipped off the end of one color and started a new one, the travelers sizing her up in a different way than they had been a second ago.

"There has to be a mistake; I paid homage to Haru Yoshioka's grave marker myself." The duke was thoroughly confused. The girl in blue laughed.

"I wonder what they buried without my body; my favorite toys doubtlessly, and my sheared hair, since I didn't leave much else."

She had cut her hair off while leaving the village, to symbolize that they were as dead to her as she was to them, but the three years since had replaced the damage. The duke looked at here, his eyes sharper than ever.

"I don't think you're her."

She shrugged.

"You're free to believe whatever you want; it's not my problem."

He took two steps closer to her, Baron's danger senses starting to go off.

"Prove it. Prove you're Haru Yoshioka."


	11. The Art of the Samurai

Alone Chapter Eleven: The Art of the Samurai

Haru looked up at him, knowing what he wanted her to do.

"If my own flesh and blood won't believe I'm Haru, what makes you think that you could tell? Aren't you taking this a little personally?"

His fists started shaking.

"I don't have to be close to the Yoshiokas to know that they were still hurting from Haru's death, and having someone pretend to be her will doubtlessly anger her fiancé."

She put her embroidery aside and stood up, being exactly eye level with him now.

"That's 'ex-fiancé', thank you very much; are you threatening to tell them where I am?"

The duke grinned.

"Hah, you can't be the real Haru if you don't want them to know; she was very close with her mother-"

Haru cut him off, her anger beginning to grow.

"Before she let everyone run me out of the village, I was." She covered her forehead and closed her eyes, looking down in frustration. She struggled not to growl, hating her options. "Look, if I prove I'm the real Haru Yoshioka, will you and your men swear never to speak of me to another soul as long as you live?"

The traveling royal was a little scared by the look in her eyes, but nodded. He gestured to his men, who began to take out their weapons.

"Pick one. It doesn't matter to me." In truth, it did matter to him, but the Duke of Gethel wanted to see if she would pick the right one. Baron walked towards her and placed one hand on her shoulder as she used a bit of embroidery floss to tie her hair up in a high ponytail and kicked off the delicate slippers that went with her dress.

"Haru, what are you about to do?"

She smiled warmly at him, making his knees go weak.

"What else? I'll perform the family practice."

Baron blinked.

"And what would that be?"

She stared at him, completely shocked by his ignorance.

"I thought… you already knew. I thought Muta told you before we met, and that you wouldn't bring it up because you knew I hated talking about it or performing it."

He was a little worried that she was taking this so seriously. They had talked about many things, but he always tried to steer the conversation away from the sad memories of her village. She sighed and kissed his cheek, making the Cat Lord blush.

"I guess you'll find out soon enough." She turned to face the duke's men, trying to decide which one would be the best suited for the job. Her eyes widened when the group parted to the man in the back, a tall thin youth that was perhaps two decades old. Her eyes slowly turned red with anger.

"I'll take the shaggy-haired one. Beh-rohn, do you still have your pocket watch?"

He pulled it out, confused why she would want it.

"I want you to time this; do any of the gentlemen here have a spare katana? I can't use the weapons from here, and I'm three years rusty."

Baron grabbed her hand before she could move away, one man approaching her with a long drawn blade.

"Haru, tell me what you're about to do."

She smiled at him again.

"I want you to think about something, Beh-rohn; if saying no and running from you didn't work, what makes you think it would with a royal suitor that was used to getting what he wanted when he wanted it?"

Baron blinked, never having had the nerve to ask why she had gotten off the way she had. He released her hand, and she took the weapon, experimentally holding it out to check its weight. One of the other men had condensed the proceedings into the shaggy youth's language, and his eyes widened at hearing what he was expected to do. He shook his head violently and stepped back, still staring at Haru. She smiled ironically, and addressed the youth in her old tongue.

"Surely a warrior like you can't be scared of a girl in a skirt."

A strange light appeared in the young man's eyes, and he unsheathed his katana while the other fighters backed far away. The opponents bowed to each other and took their stances.

"Tell us when to start, Baron."

Since when was she able to say his name correctly? He sulked as he set the pocket watch.

"Go."

The two began to circle each other, both of their footsteps as light as a butterfly's wing. They suddenly charged at each other, clanging their swords together in an intricate deadly dance. Baron's gentlemanly instincts were screaming at him to grab a blade from one of the stunned guards and pull his love away to fight the bodyguard himself.

Except she was holding her own against the man's onslaught, surprising when considering the fact that she hadn't touched anything sharper than a knife or scissors in at least her time in the castle. How could Muta have _not _told him about this?

She eventually managed to force the boy onto his back, his blade in her left hand as her eyes took fire. She pointed the ends of the katanas like scissors around the boy's neck, making sure that he wouldn't move as she leaned over him. She first spoke in her native tongue, and then repeated in her new one so that everyone could understand the question.

"Who am I?!" Her voice was so cold that it seemed to freeze the boy's soul. He stared at her for another minute, his eyes full of wonder and beginning to overflow. His voice was thick with emotion.

"Haru…oh Haru…"

She smiled grimly, and threw the katanas aside.

"Time, Baron."

The feline man broke out of his trance and checked his pocket watch.

"Three minutes, not including the boy's hesitation."

She groaned.

"Man, I _am_ out of practice. Of course, that was the idea. Are you convinced, your grace?" She turned to the traveling duke, who had no choice but to nod as the man on the floor began to weep, never taking his eyes off the woman in blue. He addressed her in his language again.

"Haru, it's _me. _ Machida."

The Cat Lord's ears pricked upwards, and he stormed over to where he lay close to the woman's feet. She smiled at her new boyfriend and wrapped her arms around his chest, evaporating his anger. He wrapped his arms around her again.

"Hey Baron; I'm going to get rid of my remaining aggression with a few laps; care to join me?"

He shook his head, wanting some answers.

"Haru, what was _that_? You've never so much as touched our weapons, and then you turn around and do this?" He decided to tell her in private that he thought it was really attractive. She smiled grimly, the fight bringing out her old anger. She squeezed his chest harder for comfort.

"Yoshiokas are known for three things. One is pig-headed stubbornness, but my family likes to say strong-willed. Another is that those born into the line can talk to cats, but these men would have just said that I'm pretending if I had tried to use that as proof. So I had to use the last one to confirm my identity; the family style of fighting."

Baron had to control the urge to laugh. His sweet girlfriend a warrior?

"Haru, if you could fight then why didn't you use it on me when I began pursuing you? I never would have seen it coming…"

She laughed at herself.

"Because I thought I could outrun you and I hate fighting with a passion. I only use it when there is no alternative route. Father was always a little disappointed that I preferred wielding a needle to weapons, but didn't raise a fuss as long as I kept practicing his family art with the same fervor as Mother's. The last time I touched a katana was when I put the-uh, you-know-who, into need of a full body cast for his ridiculous offer. The village ran me out too fast for me to try and prove my identity through my technique."

That last line caused them to look down at the man still on the floor, still stunned that his childhood sweetheart was still alive.

"But, the demon-"

Haru cut him off coldly in his tongue, a trace of pain still evident.

"There never was one. You ran _me_ out of the village that night after seeing my punishment for refusing a powerful suitor. I guess I should thank the little creep; if you couldn't love me as a cat, then you never really did as a human." She firmly turned her back on her old love to turn to the duke. "Don't forget; you and all your men must swear not to tell a soul that I'm here, not even your cat."

"Especially not the cat," Baron said firmly, squeezing Haru again while glaring at the once-handsome youth that had slaughtered her heart, the hard years as a hired blade wearing away at his looks. His eyes filled with horror as he realized the severity of his actions, and that his life's love had put their past firmly behind her. The duke nodded, rolling up one sleeve to make a blood oath, his men doing the same while looking pityingly at the fallen warrior, who had undoubtedly never stopped talking about his 'dead' girlfriend.

Machida was only able to make the oath after Baron and Haru left the room to run laps for her aroused aggression, his spirit broken with the realization of his sin. The leader of the group decided that he had gleaned enough information from this area and gave orders to rendezvous with their companions and move on.

What no one knew was that the duke's precious Toodles had snuck past the guards and Muta, spying on everyone down below in the main hall. Satisfied that he had seen enough, the brown cat climbed higher, deciding not to risk a confrontation with Renaldo Moon. Sending the secret call, a blue portal appeared at the side of one tower, and the floppy eared cat walked confidently into the portal. It disappeared behind him in a flurry of white lights.


	12. The Proposal

Alone Chapter Twelve: The Proposal

"Haru, are you sure you're okay?"

They had been running for half an hour, and for once, his girl-friend wouldn't speak in any language.

"I guess. It was just a little strange to see him after everything that happened since our last meeting. Could you just hold me for a second?"

Never one to turn down the opportunity, he wrapped his arms firmly around her and squeezed.

"Would you like me to ban him from the castle?"

She wrapped her own arms around his neck.

"That's sweet, but unnecessary. He knows I won't take him back. He looked me straight in the eye as a cat and still denied me." She squeezed harder. "I've spent all this time trying to forget how to fight, but my cat genes won't let my body forget."

Baron smiled a little.

"At least this explains why you're such a wonderful dancer."

She scoffed.

"Only on the battlefield did I possess anything like grace; that's partially why they wouldn't believe it was really me after the cat thing." Another thought had been bothering her for months, and she decided it was finally time to voice it.

"Baron, did you start liking me just because I'm a werecat?"

His eyes widened, stunned that she would ever think that.

"Of course not; I started admiring you the first time you escaped the garden. After hearing countless girls talk loudly about what great wives they'd make for _nine years_, you intrigued me. I liked that you were so independent and unwilling to let someone else make a decision for you. Of course, the moment you traded your secret to save a life was what sealed the deal. I guess Muta knew I would let you go home without a fuss if you had let Henry fall."

Haru shook her head stubbornly.

"I may have been chased out of five different villages just for doing something like that, but it doesn't make a difference. A life's worth more than a secret."

They had released each other, and started walking back to the castle with linked arms. Her mind suddenly felt guilty.

"Did I ever mention I can make the change permanent?"

He looked at her.

"Actually, you haven't. I take it you have a reason for bringing this up now?"

She nodded, noting his lack of response. She smiled warmly at him.

"I can force the change, but I wouldn't be able to turn back into a human. It's the signal to the Cat King that I'm accepting his offer, so it hasn't really been an important factor. That's why I can access my cat abilities without a full moon." She pulled him back to look into his face, making him stop in his tracks to look back at her.

She may have been only physically attracted to the Cat Lord at the beginning, but she couldn't help falling for his kind generous spirit. Because her old family was so small, even the girls born into the clan had been pressed into learning the fighting techniques that set their family apart. She had never taken glory in the fact that she would be expected to kill in the future, and was partially relieved that she was forced to leave before making the first kill that would have marked her entry into adulthood. She knew there was no glory in taking lives, which was what made Baron so wonderful in her eyes. It was far more glorious to give people a second chance at life then to take the first one away. He wasn't even holding her being raised in a war clan against her.

"You know the one thing that sets you apart from Machida and the Cat King? You're willing to accept me with all my eccentricities and just like me the way I am. Machida and his parents wanted a warrior bride to bring honor to their family name, and the Cat King wanted a hot young trophy wife to stand next to him at court functions. You want someone to talk to and enjoy spending time with, and you were willing to wait for me to make my own decision on whether or not to be with you. I know the sixth full moon is still two more weeks off, but I'm voicing my decision now; I'm turning in my running boots. I want to stay here. With you."

Baron stared at her, his soul taking flight as a blinding smile took over his face. He had been hoping that Haru would choose him, but she could sometimes be so unpredictable he wouldn't have the slightest clue on what to do with her, especially with the realization that oh, by the way; she was raised to be an excellent fighter.

'_Mental note; kill Muta for not warning me what I was going up against.' _

But she had such a sweet spirit, he could understand why she never talked about it and why she had tried so hard to forget. Tears of happiness pricked at his eyes as he wrapped her up in his arms again and kissed her hair. She wrapped her arms around his chest, and he could feel the wetness of her tears through his shirt as she buried her face against it.

Somehow, that didn't seem enough to express his happiness, since he had hugged her so many times before. It never got old, but…he knew what to do, never having the courage for it before. He slowly raised one hand from her back and tilted Haru's head so she could look into his eyes, her own still streaming and slightly confused. He leaned towards her and met her lips, which were as soft as rose petals.

As he deepened the kiss, he could feel Haru switch her grip from his middle to his neck, making sure he didn't try to pull away as she returned the kiss with full force. It was Baron's first, and although it wasn't Haru's, the fact was quickly forgotten by both of them.

But eventually, the kiss had to end, if nothing else than for the fact that the participants were running low on air. They kept hugging as they regained their breath, feeling a bit light-headed.

"Haru, will you marry me?"

She giggled softly.

"I'd love to."

He brightened further, and swept her off her feet, both laughing happily. Since they had been in sight of the castle, it shouldn't be too surprising that the surrounding area erupted into a chorus of cheers, the news starting to spread.

Only the group leaving the castle courtyard was silent, in respect for the heart-broken samurai in the back of the company. Machida couldn't take his eyes off the blue and gray figures twirl around the grounds in a random waltz, both smiling happily. One of the companions dared to address him, his voice soft.

"Are you really going to let her go like this?"

Machida turned towards the speaker, his voice hoarse from struggling not to show emotion.

"I lost my claim to her three years ago. I owe Haru this happiness."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Toodles ran down a long corridor that was to scale with his size before throwing open a large red curtain that came to a large throne room. The large light gray cat lifted his mismatched eyes to look at the brown cat.

"Natoru, I thought I said you couldn't come back unless you found out where my princess was."

True, any other cat would have been put off a woman that could leave him in a body cast for six months, and the king's joints still bothered him during stormy weather. But the fact that she wasn't afraid to do it just made the feline monarch want the girl more.

"That's good, since I found her."

The king flew out of his throne and ran up to his lackey.

"Where? Where is Haru?"

The brown cat grinned nasally.

"I got her old fiancé's boss to take me in, and they came to this realm under the rule of a Cat Lord."

The king blinked.

"Ah yes, I've heard about a human family that got cursed to look like my subjects. Wait, what does this have to do with Haru?"

Natoru suddenly got nervous.

"Well, the current Cat Lord's been courting her, apparently for months. They were using Renaldo Moon-" he was cut off as the feline monarch's eyes took on an electric glint. He walked over to a pillar and started pulverizing it with his fists.

"How dare she?! She's mine!"

The whole point of making her a werecat was to make her hate the human world. No human could ever love a half-cat, but he should have thought about there being others like her. He knew that the Cat Lord was very wealthy, but surely the Cat King surpassed him in that regard, as well as boundaries. Whatever the Cat Lord could have to offer her, the Cat King had at least triple. He was a bit calmer after the pillar became a pile of rubble.

"That would explain why I've been getting complaints about the most notorious criminal in Cat History driving off other cats where they were previously welcomed. Call in my generals."


	13. The Wedding

Alone Chapter Thirteen: The Wedding

Two weeks later, on the original day that Haru was supposed to make her decision, she was instead being prepared for her wedding with Baron. The dress Mrs. Jennes had ordered for her was a masterpiece of snow silk, the simple elegance speaking for itself. As for decorations, she had a single strand of small pearls around her neck and a sheer veil over her face.

As she was escorted out of her personal quarters for the last time, her maid handed her the bouquet of lilies, which were white and yellow in color. This time, Haru was the one to impulsively hug her companion, silently thanking her for everything she's done. The woman laughed and hugged her back, thrilled that her master was finally receiving the happiness that he deserved. And Miss Haru had been through enough to have earned her own share of the happily ever after.

The werecat smoothly glided to the entrance of the main hall, thinking sadly that her father wasn't going to be giving her away; she was to walk the aisle alone. Haru brightened as she thought of the one she would be walking towards. Her heart threatened to burst once more, but this time from joy. This was a happiness that she had been certain for so long would never be hers. Thank heaven Baron's patience streak outdid her stubborn one.

Now that she thought about it, it was pretty much the same thing, but with a different attitude.

Muta had gotten lucky; Baron was so happy to have finally obtained Haru's hand and affections that the fat cat had gotten off the hook with only a missed supper. Of course to hear him talk, the white feline made it sound like the Cat Lord was making him starve in a land of plenty. He was also put out that he wasn't in the hall when Haru revealed her battle skills, after years of hearing what she had done to the Cat King for his ridiculous offer. He was sitting next to a window inside the chapel, Toto on the other end so that they wouldn't disrupt the ceremony.

Now that she was in the company, a servant gave the sign to the musicians, who started a beautiful march. She watched the maids of honor and best men go first, and then the flower girls, happily spreading flower petals everywhere. Henry proudly walked after them, carefully holding the twin gold rings on a white velvet pillow. Haru breathed deeply, and held the flowers in front of her.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Baron opted for a white version of his usual gray suit, certain that his bride wouldn't mind at all. His insides danced around nervously as he watched the children prance down the aisle, and take their places at the end of the aisle.

Then Haru appeared, as beautiful as an angel. Being the groom, he didn't feel the inclination to take his eyes off of her, gliding smoothly down the aisle as proudly as any queen, her loving gaze locked on him.

The main hall suddenly became flooded with blue light, and a portal appeared between the bride and groom. A sea of gray cats flooded out and headed for Haru, who smoothly jumped to the side, her eyes angry as she stood on top of a pew, the cats now unable to trip and carry her off. She delicately held the train of her dress in one hand and the flowers in the other, the guests edging away from the aisle to keep clear of the cats. The bride groaned, her veil having fallen to the cats from the jump.

"Great, someone must have squealed."

The cats parted enough for their monarch to be carried through the portal on a rickshaw. Baron couldn't mistake him, the gold on his arms and forehead declaring his rank.

"Stop the wedding, babe. You have the wrong groom."

Haru glared at the lazy cat, the guests wondering what the cat was saying.

"No, I don't. Baron is the one I chose, and he is the one I will marry."

The cat shook his head angrily.

"But _I_ chose _you_. I am a king, and you are a fledgling samurai; it is clear whose opinion takes superiority in the matter."

Baron back-flipped over the portal and landed next to his bride. He wrapped one arm around her waist, partially to keep his balance and partially to annoy the arrogant ruler, who was turning redder by the second.

"I can see why you weren't impressed by him, Haru. King, leave this wedding immediately and you will be unharmed."

The large gray cat hissed.

"You're as good as one of my subjects, so _I'm_ telling _you_ to return my bride to me. She was mine before you knew she existed."

Baron stiffened, his hair rising in hostility.

"I am subject to the ones I love and them alone. You have no right to Haru, and never did. Now leave."

Only the female samurai had ever dared to speak to the feline monarch like that before, and he didn't appreciate his orders being ignored like this. He stood up from his rickshaw, the royal crown beginning to glow as he grew taller than Baron. In one paw, a sword materialized.

"Then fight like a cat, you chicken!"

One guard tossed the Cat Lord a sword as his bride snatched his top hat.

"With pleasure!"

Haru kissed him on the cheek and whispered into his fur, covering the action with the stolen hat.

"The crown's the source of his power."

Baron nodded and jumped into the aisle, which was cleared by the felines eager to see the end of the Haru matter. The king stared reproachfully at the bride.

"What, no kiss for me?"

She glared at him as she jumped towards the priest, landing in front of him.

"Drop dead."

He laughed.

"Still as charming as ever. But you should be more respectful to your future husband."

She shrugged.

"I am. I'm completely respectful to Baron."

His eyes narrowed.

"I meant me!"

The Cat Lord coughed pointedly and raised his weapon in a fighting stance. The Cat King glared at his rival, and charged. Baron did the same, clashing swords once before back-flipping over the portal and next to the priest, where Haru was patiently waiting. He gave the sword back to the guard and linked arms with his bride, who returned the top hat to its perch on his head.

"Proceed, please."

The Cat King turned to glare as the Cat Lord, his eyes aflame.

"What are you doing? You haven't won-" he was cut off by the cracking of the purple gem on his forehead, which was quickly followed by most of his fur falling off his body, revealing the scrawny body that had been hidden by the long mis-kept hairs. He covered himself quickly, embarrassed beyond words as everyone inside the hall started to laugh their heads off, including the girl he had been chasing for three years.

Haru was doubled over in her mirth, noting that Baron didn't have so much as a scratch on him. He wasn't laughing, but he did look very pleased with himself, like a cat all alone with a big bowl of cream.

"Silly fool; if I say I've won, than I have. And to the victor goes the spoils."

His bride giggled and kissed his face again while he maneuvered his lips to hers.

"Excuse me, but there _is_ a formality to cover before that part."

The couple turned back to the priest, who was still chuckling over their antics and the naked king in the aisle.

"We are gathered here today to witness the union between our beloved Cat Lord and his lady samurai. Baron Humbert von Gikkingen, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold-"

The Cat King rose to his feet again.

"No!" He tried to lunge for the couple, but then a uniformed squad of cats burst from the portal and knocked him onto his back. A gray shorthair walked through the portal, a second purple gem in his paw. Holding it out to the feline monarch, the cat made his king shrink to a regular size so that the guards could keep him under submission.

"Sorry Father, but this is for your own good. I'm retiring you before you do any more damage."

As the cats carried their former king through the portal, the cat in white uniform bowed towards the bridal couple.

"Sorry I couldn't come earlier, but I just found out why Father sent me on that urgent mission. I should have done this years ago."

Haru laughed.

"I'm glad you didn't, Lune. Baron's worth the two and a half years it took to find him." How could she possibly get angry at him when his worst crime was falling for her cat? The royal feline straightened, glad that she wasn't angry at him.

The groom grinned.

"You know, I like this prince. I mean king."

After all the intruding cats but the new monarch fled into the portal, a pure white cat came out, looking around desperately. Her gaze softened as she looked at the bride.

"Trying to get married without my knowledge? For shame, Haru."

The werecat laughed, gazing at her old friend.

"Hey, Yuki. I knew the guy you picked was a winner."

The Cat Queen looked at the groom and grinned.

"Looks like yours is, too. Well, Priest? What are you waiting for?"

Baron repeated her words, since only he and Haru were the only humans in the room that could understand cats. And he was rather curious himself as to the hold up.

"What else? For the interruptions to stop!" The priest shook his head. "Forget this. Do you take Haru Yoshioka to be your wife?"

"I do."

"Do you take the Baron Humbert von Gikkingen as your husband?"

"I do."

"Then I pronounce you husband and wife. _Now_ you may kiss the bride."

Baron was already working on it, his new wife weeping tears of joy. Never again would she have to worry about Lune's father. She had her old feline friends back. And she had a new love that would last.

A roar of cheers ensued, but neither the Cat Lord or Lady heard it.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Lots of love to; Drifting One, Watersoul the Head Star Walker, EarthGurdian, Lanari, HyperMint, Skymning, InkyManipulation, Lee0616, mistress of mist, Sapphirewaters, and Joyfull Scroll for their hilarious reviews. I hope the ending pleased all of you, because writing it definitely pleased me!

More fanfiction to follow!


End file.
